Cotherstone Parish

Council Information

Cotherstone Parish Council consists of seven councillors and has one employee, the clerk to the Parish Council. The most recent elections for the council were held in May 2017, formal elections are only held when more than seven candidates stand for the Parish Council. If vacancies arise between elections then these will be advertised on the news and events page of this website enabling individuals to be co-opted as and when the need arises.

The Parish Council usually meets on the second Wednesday of each month within the Millennium Room in the Village Hall at 7.00pm (apart from August and December when no meetings are held), members of the public are very welcome to attend. Future meetings are listed on our meetings page and minutes and reports associated with our meetings can be found on our minutes page. Agendas for forthcoming Parish Council meetings are displayed within the local shop and notice boards within the village.

What do Parish Councils do?

There are over 9000 Parish and Town Councils across England, they for the most local level of government and cover many rural and urban areas.

Parish Councils have an overall responsibility for the well-being of their local communities. The work of a Parish Council falls into three main categories:

Representing the local community

Delivering services to meet local needs

Striving to improve the quality of life in the parish

Parish councils can provide and/or maintain a number of local services specific to their community including village greens, allotments, cemeteries, seats, bus shelters, common land, and leisure facilities.

Each year a parish council asks for a sum of money called a “precept” which is collected through your Council Tax. This money is used by your Parish Council to maintain and improve facilities and services for local people and to run the Parish Council.

What do Parish Councillors do?

Parish Councillors have three main areas of work:

Decision making – Through attendance at meetings and committees with other elected members councillors decide which activities to support, where Parish money should be spent, what services should be delivered and what policies should be implemented.

Monitoring – Councillors ensure that the decisions lead to effective services and prudent use of Parish finances.

Getting involved locally – As local representatives for the parishioners and local organisations to ensure that services are delivered for the benefit of the community, and that local issues are fed back through the Parish Council.

Could you be a Parish Councillor?

Anyone can become a Parish Councillor, however there are a few basic rules on qualification that need to be adhered to, you must be:

a British citizen, or a citizen of the commonwealth or European Union, and

18 years of age or older on the day you become nominated for election, and

a resident of the Parish and live or work in or near the Parish.

As a Parish Councillor you become a voice for your community and affect real and meaningful change for the benefit of your community, you need to have the concerns and best interests of your Parish as a whole at heart.